I’M FREE! I’M FREE!

Y’all I’m taking it back to the Stone Age and I’ve never felt better. I just deleted my Snapchat and two of my three — yes, THREE — Instagram accounts. And by “deleted,” I mean DELETED.

I didn’t just remove the apps, or temporarily disable my accounts…they are GONE. Well, besides Rudolph’s Instagram, but he’s an adorable dog and his followers love him so…

Why the sudden move to purge these social media accounts?

I was actually inspired by fellow blogger, Audra and THIS post she recently penned.

When I look back on my life, am I really going to care about how many likes I got on a certain photo or how many followers I had? I sure hope not. I want to remember the people, the experiences, the moments that left me completely speechless. The times when I took in everything there was to see and made the most of it.

I love every point she makes and I couldn’t agree more. I have my reasons for keeping Facebook (it’s how I keep in touch with my bf who is currently in JAPAN of all places for the next two years) and I’ve actually found Twitter useful for networking (go figure). Plus, I like using FB and Twitter to share these blog posts with folks who aren’t on WordPress.

Tomorrow, I’m leaving for Miami with my grandma and two of my aunts; I found myself thinking about the photos I’ll take and the amazing memories we’ll have from this all girls trip.

And I don’t want to spend my time filtering through the filters of Instagram and Snapchat.

I’ll have my phone, sure, but I plan on keeping it off most of the time. I’ll bring my DSLR camera to capture candid moments because that’s something I enjoy doing. I love photography and videos and being my family’s so-called historian…but I don’t want to feel the need to upload and share every moment with everyone in my social network just to be ‘liked.’ Because guess what? I’m loved and I already know that, and that’s all that matters. And guess what? So are you. And you can live without all this social media too. #ImpromptuRhymeTime

It’s going to be a while (if ever) till I break from #RandomHashtags. But I’m off to a start. My point is, while it’s good to want to share your experiences with others, don’t let all the social media craziness get in the way of the actual experience. Live your life for YOU, not for the Insta.

Jackie,
The fact that my post inspired you enough to write your own post about this and link my blog to it has left me speechless! Thank you so much, I am glad that you have found the experience rewarding- I have too!
Audra

Ah don’t thank me, I should be thanking you! I just got back from Miami and to be able to enjoy that trip without the constant feeling of needing to update my Instagram and Snapchat was so refreshing! 🙂